THRILLER

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY today our Pday schedule is a little different, so if you get an email in the evening time don't be surprised. Elder Thornton and I made some awesome plans for the evening, including carving pumpkins, roasting marshmallows, and watching the Disneyland firework show (from the apartment of course...)! 

This has been an awesome week! We got to go on two exchanges with the Anaheim and Fullerton Zone Leaders. I got to go with two of my good friends, Elder Smith and Elder Durney. It was great to catch up with them and see how they are doing.

Alright so here's the thriller of the week! Wednesday night we got a call from the sister missionaries in the Stanford ward, my old ward. They were informing me that their investigator, Beth Koenig, was getting baptized on Saturday at 11! And then -get this- she asked ME to baptize her!!! I had met with Beth several times and gave her a blessing once when she was sick, so I was surprised and excited when she asked me to baptize her!

Come Saturday morning, we got a text from the Stanford sisters saying Beth's car was towed and the baptism was cancelled...... "this is Satan's doing!" I thought to myself. We decided to give Beth a call. We talked to her and long story short she decided to just push the baptism back to 2 o clock! So at 2, I was able to baptize Beth, and the next day she was confirmed a member of the church and given the gift of the Holy Ghost. Better luck next time, Satan.

This week will be a good one! We have MLC tomorrow and, Zone trainings to attend on Wednesday and Thursday, and exchanges on Friday and Saturday! There ain't no rest for the wicked! Have a great week everybody! I love you!

-Elder Francis
1. Joe's Ice with a Spanish District
2. Beth's baptism
3. Elder Durney and I on exchanges

Losing my life in His service

Well, I'm happy to report that I survived the busiest week of my life... barely... But it was an incredible one that included a mission tour from Elder Carl B Cook of the Seventy, and a baptism!

On Tuesday we dropped off the departing missionaries at the airport. We got to drive the big van (see attached pics). I said goodbye to a few of my good friends, who had successfully completed their mission. It was bittersweet. But then we immediately picked up the new ones!! In that particular batch there were 6 new sisters and 1 elder! President Taggart said, "Alright, sisters will be riding in the van, the elder can come with us." So 6 sister missionaries piled in our van hahaha and we drove them back to the mission home! That was different.... but it was awesome to spend the rest of the day with the new missionaries and feel their greenie fire!

Wednesday we had training to the district and zone leaders, which was intimidating at first, but went well. Later that night we met in a special meeting with President and Sister Taggart and Elder and Sister Cook, in preparation for the Zone Conferences on Thursday and Friday. That was such a neat experience!! The Cooks are amazing! Elder Cook just spoke in Conference a few weeks ago, so it was really neat to meet him in person. 

Thursday and Friday we got to attend both of the Zone Conferences! That was incredible. We just got to sit and be fed spiritually for like 6 hours, two days in a row! I loved it so much. I could talk for hours about the training we received, but all in all there was a big focus on becoming converted to the gospel ourselves, so that we can be more effective as missionaries. It was amazing.

 During the conference, a scripture was impressed upon my mind, and it has stuck with me since. Matthew 10:39 "For whosoever will find his life shall lose it; but whosever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." I desire to lose my life in the service of the Lord! I need to! It has become my goal and motivation!

Then Saturday we had a baptism! Amidst everything else we had to do, during the week we met with Brother and Sister Mills and finished up the lessons, had Sister Mills' baptismal interview, and prepared the program! Sister Mills got baptized on Saturday afternoon, and now they are working as a couple towards going to the temple! That was a sweet sweet experience.

On Sunday I went to my new ward for the first time! That was weird because nearly half of the members who attended were just visitors for Disneyland. That's what happens when you serve in Anaheim I guess... but it was really good. Sister Mills got confirmed and everything was happy dandy. 

We would come home every night, use every last ounce of energy we had to plan for the next day, and just collapse in exhaustion! But it was one of the best weeks of my entire mission! I learned so much and I am just so so happy! I love being a missionary!!! Thanks for reading everybody! I love you all!

-Elder Francis

1) elevator at the airport with departing missionaries!

2) party van with the new missionaries!

3)Sister Mills' Baptism!

4)The Cooks

5) I get to watch the beautiful sunrise from our apartment window every morning. We are on the 5th floor

THE RESULTS OF TRANSFERS ARE.....

I'm going home early!! 

Just kidding, I'm staying in California, at least for about 8 more months.. The actual results are just as terrifying though. I'm sad to say that I am leaving my beloved Garden Grove. I figured something was going to change, because I was getting too comfortable here hahaha. The past 6 months have been some of the best of my whole life! I have absolutely loved my time here, and have met some incredible people. I'll attach pictures at the bottom of some of the families that we became closest with.

I'm also leaving Elder Sirrine!. After three transfers together (just over 4 months) he has become one my closest friends. He gets to stay and he'll do great here!

Well, I guess I better say where I've been transferred to.... I've been assigned to the Anaheim 3rd ward on the North side, where I will serve as an Assistant to President Taggart. Assistants to the President travel around the mission giving trainings, help the mission president fulfill his responsibilities, and go on exchanges with the Zone Leaders and missionaries throughout the mission. My new companion is Elder Thornton, a missionary I really look up to. He is actually from the Spanish program, so it will be a really neat opportunity to serve with him.

Honestly, I'm pretty terrified about my new assignment! It comes with new responsibilities and assignments that I'm not used to! I haven't been able to sleep well since president called on Thursday night, and I think that is pretty common for the job. As I've turned to the Lord in study and prayer, He has filled me with hope, and I know that "whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies." He will lift me up and help me to become all that He needs me to be. I'm eager for the opportunity to work with President Taggart, to learn and to grow, to be humbled and corrected. The next few months of my mission will bring all of these things, and I trust that they will be for my eternal benefit.

So that's that! I also was able to go on two exchanges with Elder Mills, and Elders Nguyen and Poulsen (in the Vietnamese program). Elder Nguyen finishes his mission tomorrow! I got to go on the last exchange of his mission with him, and what a neat experience that was! It was amazing to see how much the Vietnamese people loved and revered him. He has been such a blessing to our zone, the Vietnamese program, their branch, and to me. I hope I can be like him at the end of my mission.

Alright, that's probably all that I have time for this week. Elder Carl B. Cook of the Seventy (he spoke in this last conference) is conducting a mission tour this week!! It'll be so neat to get to meet him! Thanks for reading, I love you all and have a great week!

-Elder Francis
1. The district
2.the Chavez family. Samantha (on left) was baptized in July.
3.The Hickens. Bishop Hicken has been sooooo awesome for us and the ward
4. the Prices, some of my favorite people ever!
5.me and my Koreans

Transfer of the temple!

It's temple trip day!!! Which also means Cafe Rio day! (We have a tradition of getting cafe rio for lunch on our way back from the temple) so needless to say, it's been a really really good day. This is the third time I've been able to go to the temple this transfer, so it's really just made the transfer all the better. I love the temple so much. 

This past week has been awesome! Why??🇰🇷 Koreans! 🇰🇷That's why! I got to go on two exchanges with Elders in the Korean program last week. I was able to go with both Elder Stumpf and Elder Jo in one, and then Elder Kahng in the other. I absolutely love the Koreans. Sometimes I wish I was one haha. They just make the whole room brighter with their fun attitudes and personalities. 

On my exchange with Elder Kahng, we got to go to the baptism of a friend of his from high school in the Orange Hills YSA ward! That's right! The last ward I served in!!! So I got to go and see a lot of my old friends from the YSA. It took me back to my time there and made me miss it. I loved my time there! But I also love it here in Garden Grove, and I'm so happy to be here.

But I might not be for long! This is the last week of the transfer! We will know on Saturday if I'm leaving the area, but I've been here for nearly 6 months, and Elder Sirrine and I have been together for 3 transfers, so odds are one of us is outta here! One can still hope though... Elder Sirrine is awesome. We've become even better friends than we were before we became companions.

The temple this morning was so wonderful. With conference on my mind, and the things I personally want to work on, the session today filled me with hope and gratitude and a witness of the inspired nature of the gospel and church. I am amazed at the pure simplicity of the ordinances of the gospel, and the incredible power that lies within those ordinances. They are filled with plainness and truth. There is power in simplifying our lives and focusing on the core principles of the gospel. There is power in simplicity. There is power in plainness. There is power in truth. 

I'll be sure to fill you all in on the results of transfers next week! Thanks for reading everybody! Have a great week!

-Elder Francis

Conference weekend

Well this week has been soooo amazing! We received some awesome training at Mission Leadership Council on Tuesday on extending commitments and helping those we teach to keep their commitments. We were then able to take that training to the zone on Thursday. Commitment is such an essential principle in this life. It is what propels us through this life. Just as we extend invitations to our investigators, the Lord has extended the commitment to all of us to "Come follow me." It is our commitment to that invitation that determines whether or not we receive all of the promised blessings He has in store for us, even all that He has.

Then of course, GENERAL CONFERENCE!!! Sunday morning we went over to the Chavez family's house for breakfast. It was great, and our recent convert Samantha invited her friend Chalena, so after watching the morning session together, we taught her the Restoration, and she really liked it! We are hopefully going to start teaching her now!

I had an awesome experience this conference. As I prepared for it, I prayerfully pondered about several questions that I want to receive an answer for from general conference. The first question I wrote and the driving question I had for this conference was "How can I come to know God?" If any of you were able to watch the Sunday afternoon session, then you'll know that Elder David A Bednar spoke on exactly that subject! I was so happy! I started telling the people I was sitting by, "That was my question! That was my question!" There was such a wonderful spirit that came with general conference, and I can't wait to study the talks again and again over the coming weeks and months.

Our district went on a fun hike today! I'll add some pictures of that too! We get to go to the temple next Tuesday!! I'm so excited! So that'll be my Pday next week. Thanks for reading everyone, have a fantastic week!

-Elder Francis

1) Conference at the Chavez' 

2-3) The hike this week!